Eschaton
by ennyousai
Summary: Sometimes the Heartless destroy a world. Sometimes a world simply dies. Keyblade Master, will you decide this world's fate? Future R/S, side A/R.
1. Introduction

**Disclaimer: **Kingdom Hearts belongs to Disney and Square Enix. No profit is being made. Another source of inspiration is Cormac McCarthy's novel The Road, which is one of the most important books you'll ever read.

**Author's Note:** I like stories that play around with characterization. Too often you come across stories in which Sora is some gentle, noble soul and Riku is a hardened warrior. Part of the inspiration for this was to see if I could write them differently than their assigned roles. Another part is that I love AUs. I love exploring different scenarios for all the characters, and this is an idea that wandered into my head and just wouldn't leave.

This first part is brief, but it lays the groundwork.

On one last note, at the moment I do not have a beta. I want a beta. If you or someone you know might be interested, send an e-mail my way.

Please review. Concrit is awesome.

* * *

The new report came in on Wednesday

The new report came in on Wednesday. In the six years or so since order had been restored in the wake of Xehanort's disastrous experiments there were few reports of worlds afflicted with abnormally high concentrations of Darkness, so at first Leon thought it was a misprint. He gave it back to Chip and Dale for reassessment, they assured him that they had been no mistakes, and so he reluctantly gave the report to Sora on Thursday over breakfast.

"Hmmmm." Sora's eyes were troubled when he looked up from his perusal of the chipmunks' findings, and Leon felt a stab of guilt. Sora's eyes held too much pain and sorrow for someone of only twenty-one, and the older man would have liked his respite from duty to be permanent. Too bad that Fate seemed to have different plans.

"It seems weird that this would come up now, doesn't it? We were pretty thorough in dealing with the fallout from Xehanort's screw-up, and we didn't even come across this world at all back then. So why's it popping up after all this time?"

Leon shrugged. "You might try asking Ienzo."

"Huh." Sora sipped his coffee and grimaced. "Like he'd want to give me any help."

Leon said nothing. Ienzo had already been seventeen and accepted as one of Ansem's apprentices when Sora had entered the orphanage at age ten, and the lost little boy had tried to find something like an older brother in the older orphan. But Ienzo had been cold and distant even before his involvement in what the townspeople referred to as 'the Disaster', and had rebuffed Sora rather harshly at every turn. As a result, their relationship had been strained from the start, and only worsened after Ienzo's push for Ansem to further his research into hearts helped unleash the resulting chaos. This was followed immediately by Sora's awakening as the Keyblade Master and his quest to save the worlds. Now Sora was a hero, and Ienzo was shunned, rarely venturing forth from the old Bastion. Still, there was no denying his brilliance, and he might very well be able to offer some insight into the current situation.

"Well, maybe," the brunette conceded with a sigh, and began attacking a stack of pancakes. "After breakfast.

* * *

Ienzo was making a notation in his neat, careful handwriting when he felt the magical wards start to thrum. He sighed inwardly and delicately transferred the specimen back into its cage, murmuring a soft command for it to be good before striding toward the once-impressive entrance hall to greet this unlooked for and unwanted visitor.

It _would_ be Sora. Ienzo's lips tightened slightly at the sight of the Savior of the Known Worlds, the Boy Who Had Turned the Tide of Darkness, but he still managed to utter a polite good morning and offer freshly brewed coffee.

"No thanks," said Sora polite but distant. "I actually just wanted to know if you could help me with something."

"If _I _can help _you_." Ienzo's lips curled up into a humorless smile. "Are you sure you trust me so much as that, Keyblade Master? Aren't you afraid that I might set off another chain reaction that will bring about a near destruction of all the known worlds?"

Sora rolled his eyes. "You always were melodramatic. You were twenty, and desperate to prove yourself. The ultimate responsibility lies with Xehanort, so just get over yourself. Or if you insist on wallowing in guilt, you can start atoning by helping me now."

Ienzo snatched the paper that Sora offered without a word and stalked back to his lab, doing his best to ignore Sora's presence at his back. Once he began reading over the report's contents, however, his irritation at the younger man began to wash away in the tide of scientific interest. This was something new, something he hadn't seen before… except maybe Ansem had mentioned something similar in one of the first lectures he'd attended, as an addendum to the main focus of their research…

"Sora, get me Ansem's notes. The red bound book on the shelf opposite the star chart."

Sora rolled his eyes at Ienzo's imperious tone, but obeyed. Ienzo began flipping through the pages so quickly it looked like he might accidentally tear them, his brow furrowed in a frown.

"So you think you might know what this is?"

"Let's say that I might be able to make an _educated guess_." Ienzo's fingers had come to rest on a page covered in neat, precise handwriting toward the end of the volume, and he was tapping the paper idly as he read. Sora resisted the urge to shake him.

"And would you care to share it with me?"

Somewhat to his surprise, Ienzo did. "Ansem's primary area of interest was in the nature of hearts. He spent most of his time investigating healthy, living hearts, but like any competent scientist he made sure to do some examinations into dead and dying hearts as well."

"I thought that they just turn into Heartless…"

Ienzo raised his eyes to the heavens as if praying for the Divine to knock some sense into Sora. "A Heartless is formed when a heart is _forcibly_ seized. In the usual course of things, someone does not turn into a Heartless when they die, or if their heart is ailing."

"So then what does happen?" asked Sora, feeling slightly put out.

"According to Ansem, they simply fade away, at least in most cases. Sometimes, however, a weak heart can become…cancerous, if you will, and provides an opening for the Darkness, which will then proceed to infect the entire body – or, in this case, world."

"So this world is Darkness-stricken, but not because of what happened with Xehanort?"

Ienzo nodded. "Yes. This isn't a world that's been overtaken by Heartless. It's a world that's gotten sick, and is now dying a slow, agonizing death."

* * *

"The rain's stopped."

Kairi's voice was low, but Riku had no trouble hearing her. His sense of hearing had sharpened since losing his sight three years ago after the Blast, to the point where he could hear their neighbors three cubicles away in the derelict warehouse that was now home. He didn't miss the sense of sight as much as he's expected. If anything, maybe he wished he'd lost it earlier so that would've been spared witnessing the Blast itself, and the immediate aftermath.

"But there's no sunlight, is there?"

"No."

Riku could picture what Kairi was looking at easily enough. Ash-white sky above, the ground painted in shades of gray and black. The charred and twisted remains of buildings looking like the bodies of old men writhing in agony. Everything scorched and barren, a landscape devoid of hope, stripped of anything that spoke of life and renewal. The ones who had died were lucky. Death was easy; it was living that was nearly unbearable.

"I overheard what Axel said to you the other day, about how the food in this area is running out. We're going to have to move on soon."

It was unfortunate. This place had been surprisingly good to them, being far enough from the center of the city to offer some protection from the gangs, but close enough to offer plenty of scavenging opportunities. The people here were also – not _nice_, exactly, but they knew when to leave each other alone while also understanding the logic of protection in numbers. They'd been able to feel at least somewhat secure here, a rarity in this changed world.

Kairi knelt next to him and rested her hand lightly on his forearm. She could hear the anxiety hovering underneath Riku's cool, unconcerned tone, and understood the feeling all too well.

"Axel thinks that we should stick with him and Roxas and go somewhere together. They figure our chances of… of finding something might be higher that way."

"Probably right." They'd met the redhead and the blonde a few months after the initial wave of destruction, not long before Riku's sight was gone for good. They were an unlikely group: Roxas and Axel with their sarcasm and street smarts matched against Riku and Kairi, the quiet, studious types who had survived through sheer luck and were now struggling to adapt to the new reality. Even so, they'd somehow managed to strike up a rapport that turned into something like friendship. Kairi, who believed in signs and omens even though she'd been planning to study medicine, called it fate. Riku just thought of it as luck.

Neither Kairi nor Riku gave voice to the thought that the idea of moving just seemed so _difficult_, impossibly so, a proposal heavy with uncertainty and danger.

"Kairi? Tell me about the Islands?"

Kairi threaded her fingers through her friend's hair and began to talk about the seashore, with it's beautiful white sandy beaches and sparkling blue water, the sound of the wind rustling through the palm trees, evoking a world that had been real only a few years earlier but was now nothing but a memory.


	2. The Keyblade Master and the Healer

So here is the first actual chapter of this story, in which the ball gets moving and a few important plot points are revealed. And yes, each and every Organization member will turn up in some form or other, some more than once. ;)

* * *

It was now Saturday, and they were still debating what to do

It was now Saturday, and they were still debating what to do. Aerith, of course, was adamant that a rescue mission be sent. Ienzo, whose interest had been sufficiently piqued to leave the Bastion and join the debate, was also pushing for an expedition, if only for the sake of scientific investigation. On the other hand, Leon and Cid felt that if the world was not overrun by Heartless and was simply _dying_, the Keyblade Master was not obligated to intervene. Everything indicated that at this point that the world could no longer be saved, and besides that, their own world had not yet recovered from its own troubles.

"It's unfortunate," said Leon firmly, "but you can probably do more good here. This other world is pretty much a lost cause anyway, right Ienzo?"

The scientist hesitated before replying. "It appears to be in an advanced stage of whatever is ailing it," he said carefully, "but we cannot be completely certain it's incurable unless we investigate it ourselves. Therefore, in the interest of gathering data –"

"This isn't about scientific investigation, Ienzo," snapped Aerith, her usually gentle voice turning hard. "This is about saving the people who are trapped there. If we can help them in any way whatsoever, human decency obligates us to do so."

Cid frowned. "I'm not sayin' that I don't feel for them, but once we start thinkin' like that, where do we stop? We can't go around tryin' to save every world that's in trouble, not if we want to keep doin' right by our own."

"I think you're all forgetting something," said Sora suddenly. He hadn't spoken yet, but had quietly sipped at his tea and listened to everyone else's thoughts on the matter. Now he put his teacup down and looked everyone in the eye one by one, his gaze carefully neutral.

"_We _would not be going to this world. _I _would. I'm the Keyblade Master, remember? I'm the one who's going to be going on this mission while the rest of you stay here in the Garden, so in the end it's really my decision, isn't it?"

There was a slightly embarrassed silence. Ienzo's lips tightened and he looked sullenly away. Leon looked slightly discomfited; Cid scowled. Aerith leaned over and covered Sora's hands with hers, looking desperately contrite.

"Oh, Sora, we didn't mean to exclude you or…or seem like we don't care about your opinion on the subject, it's just that…"

Her voice trailed off hesitantly, but Sora could easily guess at what she'd left unsaid. _It's just that as the Keyblade Master you're the only one who is in any kind of position to help this world_. It was a message he'd been bombarded with in one form or other ever since the Heartless were unleashed and the great silver key had materialized in his hand, marking him as someone set apart, someone with a _destiny_. He didn't resent it, not exactly, but it was tiring, to always be the one who was called to go to another world where the Darkness had gotten a foothold and needed to be beaten back. He'd been thirteen when the Disaster happened, and even though there had been more peace and stability after the first two years of restoring order, there was a small part of him that wished that he'd been able to be just a normal teenager with normal concerns like getting his first kiss, or staying out all night, or sneaking wine from Merlin's cellar. Normalcy, however, was apparently not for Keyblade Masters.

He sighed and turned his hands over so that he could twine his fingers with Aerith's. She was too genuinely kind-hearted to be angry with, and he knew that she just couldn't bear the thought of people suffering when there was even a small chance of helping them. It was in her nature…and his too, really. He just got tired sometimes.

"I know, Aerith. It's okay."

"Of course it's your decision, Sora," said Leon, his voice steady and calm. "We just don't want you to take any unnecessary risks."

Sora smiled wearily. "I took plenty of risks dealing with the aftereffects of the Disaster."

"That was different. That needed to be dealt with, or all the worlds that had been connected would have been overrun and destroyed. This world appears to be an isolated case, and is not our responsibility."

That made sense. Worlds died, he supposed, just like people did. In the past six years there were probably worlds that had faded away that Chip and Dale just hadn't picked up on, and he'd never lost any sleep over it. The Keyblade locked doors, prevented Heartless from going where they weren't supposed to. It didn't cure illnesses, whether they were caused by Darkness or not. If the Darkness was coming from inside the world itself, he didn't think there was much he could really do to prevent it.

It was the thought of the people trapped on that world that bothered him. Like Aerith, he didn't like imagining them dying in pain and fear and then wondering if he could have somehow saved them. But if he did go, and he couldn't save everyone, then how would he choose whom to help?

"Ienzo?"

The scientist looked a bit surprised at being addressed, but nodded to show he was listening.

"In all honesty, do you think that there's any possibility whatsoever that I can do some good in that world, or is it better to leave it be?"

Their eyes met, and Sora could tell that while Ienzo was still speaking as a scientist – he could not change his nature, after all – he was also not hiding behind his usual mask of cold analysis.

"The situation is different from our own in that the Darkness on this world is stemming from within. There aren't any Heartless to battle, and the Keyhole doesn't need to be sealed, so I'm not sure what use the Keyblade will be. On the other hand, we don't know all the power the Keyblade holds, and it's possible that it could be of some use. At the very least, you could go and see for yourself. You can't be sure of anything until you've measured the situation with your own eyes."

Sora didn't say anything for a few minutes, his eyes distant and contemplative. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small gold coin that had been given to him ten years ago by a traveling performer. He'd been a strange man who claimed that coins and dice and cards could reveal the future, and the children had been delighted with his stories and tricks. He'd visited the orphanage numerous times, and had always had time to show Sora a special bit of magic just for him, leaving the little brown-haired boy in a state of something like awe. Just before he'd moved on, the stranger had pressed a set of worn playing cards into Sora's hands and told him to choose his destiny.

"The King of Spades," he'd said, laughing. "You have a great destiny ahead of you. See that you're equal to it." He then pressed the golden coin into Sora's hands and told him it was meant to "show the way when the right path isn't clear. Remember: sometimes chance gives the best advice."

Sora had never used it, although he kept it faithfully in his pocket. He'd seen plenty of strange and magical things on all the different worlds he'd been to, but never once felt the need to consult the Powers That Be for guidance. He'd always had some kind of instinctive feeling for what to do at each step. Still, there was a first time for everything, and at the moment he had to admit that the idea of some outside force making the decision for him was very appealing.

"Flowers mean I go, roots mean I leave it alone."

It arced gracefully through the air and Sora caught it deftly, slamming it onto the back of his hand. He stared down at the delicate etching of a bouquet of large flowers, then looked up at everyone's expectant faces.

"That's that, then."

He glanced at Ienzo and flashed him a half-smile.

"And you're coming with me."

* * *

"Fuck."

Axel's whispered expletive was barely loud enough to reach Roxas only two feet away. The blonde didn't bother asking his friend what he'd seen, just dove to the side of the road and huddled behind the embankment, his pistol heavy in his head. Axel was right next to him in a cautious crouch, peering down the cracked and pitted surface of what had once been the main road between Ragnok and Baldir. His finger was steady on the trigger of the military-issue rifle he'd pilfered from a soldier's corpse just after the Blast, the best weapon they had. Axel was good with it, too. He'd never wasted any of their ammo.

"Looks like a gang. At least five of them. Keep out of sight and hope they miss us."

Axel dropped down next to Roxas, and the blonde couldn't help pressing up against him in an attempt to steal some warmth. The weather had taken a turn for the worse lately, and at night all four of them – him and Axel, Riku and Kairi – huddled together under their blanket so they wouldn't freeze. It was a bad time to be traveling, but they had no choice. They needed to find food.

The coughing wheeze of motorbikes running on cheap fuel was getting closer, and Roxas felt Axel tense. Society had already been unraveling at the seams under the Marlux regime, and the sudden destruction of any stabilizing influence whatsoever had given the worst elements free reign. Axel and Roxas had both been Ragnor street kids, but hadn't been involved in any of the more violent factions. They knew enough to fear them, though, and hopefully enough to survive.

Closer, closer, closer… and then moving past them, the rumbling fading into the distance. Axel sighed; Roxas relaxed. They waited a few minutes just to be sure, then stepped back onto the road. It was once again empty of anyone save themselves.

"We should head back," said Roxas softly. "We don't want to be out here in full darkness."

Axel nodded and turned back in the direction where they'd left Riku and Kairi. Roxas tried not to notice how terribly thin he'd gotten. Axel had always been tall and lanky, but now he looked almost emaciated, his beat up jeans hanging low on his hips and his tattooed cheekbones jutting out even more sharply. Roxas knew that he was thinner, too. So were Riku and Kairi. They'd been able to scavenge enough from the abandoned markets and houses to keep from starving, but it was barely enough. They needed to get lucky, and soon.

They started back down the road, always keeping one eye and one ear open so that no one would come up on them unexpectedly. Every once in a while Roxas would step off onto the scorched earth, looking to see if by some miracle anything was growing. It seemed impossible that this world had once been green and fertile, when for the past three years the only signs of life Roxas had seen were a patch of dull gray moss clinging to the stones of one of the canals that bordered Ragnor, and a few flaccid mushrooms clinging to the concrete in the old warehouse where they'd lived. Never anything green, though.

It started to grow dark, and they grew tired. They were only two miles or so from their shelter when Roxas stumbled and fell, cutting his knee open on a jagged outcropping of asphalt. He hissed in pain, and Axel was immediately at his side.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Just wasn't paying attention." Roxas pulled the denim up until he could get a clear look at the wound. It was deeper than he'd thought, and the blood oozing up from the cut looked almost black in the fading light. He pushed tentatively at it and groaned softly. It hurt.

"I can't tell if there's any dirt in it or not."

That would be bad. There was little doubt that the ground had been contaminated, and if anything got into an open wound…

Axel pulled him to his feet. "We're not that far now. You should be fine until Riku can take care of it."

Of course. Riku and his extraordinary gift, probably the one sign of hope that either of them had seen since everything went straight to hell. They continued on their way, Roxas ignoring the stinging in his knee, Axel's eyes constantly scanning the horizon.

Kairi was waiting for them at their shelter, what had once been a rest area for travelers. The lines of worry on her face relaxed when they came into sight, and she hurried out onto the road to greet them.

"Find anything?"

"No, but a bike gang passed us heading east, so we should probably think about heading west. Noldir is in that direction; there might be something there. We're probably still about three, four days away."

Kairi nodded and they went inside. The roof had partially collapsed, but the building still provided some measure of protection from the elements. Riku had gathered together a pile of flammable material to make some kind of fire, and Kairi pulled a can of refried beans out of her pack.

"Dinner!" She turned to Axel.

"If you'd be so kind, oh great firemaster."

Axel pulled their precious pouch of matches out of his backpack and in a few minutes they had a small blaze going. It wasn't much, but enough to lift their spirits somewhat. Axel pulled Roxas close to the light and peered at his knee. It was swollen and angry, and a yellowish liquid was starting to ooze out of it.

"Hey, Riku? Roxas fell and cut his knee open and it doesn't look too good."

Riku nodded and Roxas shifted until he was sitting next to the older boy, biting his lip as Riku reached out and touched the area around the wound with gentle fingers. The silver-haired boy's brow was creased in concentration, and Roxas could swear that he could _feel_ his damaged cells talking to Riku, telling him what was wrong and how to fix it.

Riku's eyes fluttered closed and a second later Roxas felt something warm flow into him, burning away all of the impurities in the wound and gently urging the tissue to knit back together. When he looked down a few seconds later there was only a small pinkish scar. He ran his fingers over it in wonderment. Riku had healed all of them multiple times at various times, but his ability never failed to lose its wonder. The gift of healing was nothing short of miraculous in this ravaged place.

"Thanks," he said, his voice warm with sincerity. Riku smiled in reply.

"No problem."

Kairi passed each of them a portion of beans and they talked about where to go next until the fire died out. Then they curled under the blanket, Roxas and Kairi in the middle, Riku and Axel on either side, and waited for dawn.

* * *

Riku hadn't had this gift before losing his sight. When he could still see he'd been passionate about numbers, and atoms, and chemicals, and had been considering applying to one of the government's research academies. He'd had dreams of reworking the energy supply, finding a way harness the natural power lines that ran across the continent, or possibly even making his way onto the elusive O.W.I Committee – but then those goals had been shot to hell in more ways than one. In its place, though, he had this new ability, something more wonderful than he'd ever dreamed of.

He'd first discovered it when Kairi had gotten hurt in the riot. They'd strayed closer to the city center than they usually did, and had gotten caught up in a fight between two of the gangs that had taken up residence there. They'd been dodging frantically through the side streets trying to get away, Kairi holding fast to Riku's wrist and pulling him after her, when he heard her cry and stop moving abruptly, causing him to fall into her.

"Kairi?"

She was breathing heavily and sank to the ground, pulling him with her.

"I don't think it's anything serious, but… I've been hit with something, and…"

In that moment Riku had only wanted to help his friend. More than his friend; she was his family now. His blood relatives had all died, but Kairi had stayed with him. They'd been almost siblings even before, but now they were all each other had, and there was no way Riku wanted to face this world without Kairi next to him. He reached out and ran his fingers frantically along her leg until he felt warm blood welling up from the wound on her calf and pressed down on it, wishing desperately for it to _heal_.

Then, to his astonishment, it did. It was as though he had suddenly merged with Kairi on the cellular level, and his will alone was urging the damaged tissues to repair. It only took a moment and he was back in himself, gasping in astonishment.

"It's… healed," murmured Kairi, and he could hear the awe in her voice. Only a second later another gunshot rang out and she grabbed his wrist, on the run once again until they got back to the warehouse.

They both knew that they had to be careful whom they told about this. If word of someone who could heal without relying on medical technology got out, they'd be hunted for sure. They'd heard rumors that some of the surviving government officials were regrouping in the southern part of the continent near Ydris. He'd be a valuable commodity to them, or to anyone else who wanted to try and seize control of what was left. Outside the two of them only Axel and Roxas knew about it, and they'd only revealed it to them after they'd stuck with them for a good six months and hadn't done anything to cast doubt on their trustworthiness. That was the way they wanted to keep it.

Riku hoped that there was some reason he'd been given the gift of healing, hoped that it meant there was still some hope for this world.

Some reason to keep going.

* * *

Still with me? Do be so kind as to leave some feedback.


	3. The Scientist and the Jongleur

For those who are curious, I Deym is pronounced 'day' with a sort of murmured 'm' at the end. I couldn't bring myself to use Myde, even though I know it's quite common. It just rubs me the wrong way.

I apologize for any glaring errors. I proof-read the best I could, but you can only do so much with your own eyes, you know? As always, offers to beta are welcome...

* * *

"I still don't see why I have to come with you," grumbled Ienzo as he tried yet again to find a comfortable position for his le

"I still don't see why I have to come with you," grumbled Ienzo as he tried yet again to find a comfortable position for his legs. Gummi ships might be the most advanced method of travel in any world, but they were certainly not designed for passenger comfort. Sora, damn him, being considerably shorter, seemed to have no problems with the tight space, and just shot his companion a sardonic grin.

"For your scientific research, of course. You might be useful, maybe see something that I can't since this isn't just about killing Heartless."

"I suppose."

Sora went back to ignoring him and focused instead on the controls, carefully steering the ship away from a rather ominous looking vortex. The Heartless might no longer be present in the inter-world passages, but navigating them still required all his concentration. Traveling between worlds was perilous at the best of times. He let out a tiny sigh of relief as he spotted the end of the passage, then sucked his breath in sharply as the world loomed large in the screen. Ienzo was starting at it as well, his eyes wide.

"Where do we even _land_?"

Sora shook his head. It was clear that this world was in desperate straits even from the atmosphere. When you looked down at Radiant Garden from above, it was a beautiful sight, shimmering with vibrant blues and greens overlaid with white swirls of cloud. This one was gray – gray land, gray seas, no color anywhere. A dead world.

They stared at it in silence, their expressions a mixture of dismay and curiosity, when Ienzo suddenly reached across Sora and tapped a dial that was flashing urgently.

"Look. Quite a bit of Darkness on this world."

Sora nodded absently and brought the ship a little closer to the planet. He had visual confirmation of what looked like cities, although they weren't giving off any energy readings. Better to steer clear of those until they knew more about what the situation was.

"That looks like some kind of canyon over there toward the southwest. I say we set down there and see what's what."

Ienzo shrugged, which was as close to an agreement as Sora was likely to get. He rolled his eyes slightly and began the landing cycle.

Things happened very quickly. One second they were descending smoothly through the atmosphere, the next the gummi ship was shaking violently and the readings were going haywire. Sora reached frantically for the controls, but it was impossible to stabilize the craft. They were spinning faster and faster, and the planet's surface grew closer and closer at an alarming rate.

"We're going to crash!" he yelled at Ienzo, and braced for impact.

When he opened his eyes, everything hurt. He tried to uncurl from his protective crouch and hissed as pain slammed through him, so intense it was difficult to breathe. It didn't feel like any arms or legs were broken, but he'd surely cracked some ribs. No lungs punctured, though. He'd survive.

He held himself still for a few more minutes, then slowly, slowly rolled onto his side, then up onto his knees, gritting his teeth against the pain. He crawled out of what was left of the ship, then turned back to take in the damage. The engine was sending thick tendrils of black smoke into the sky, and what he could see of the instrument panel was broken. Sora felt a cold shiver of fear run through him. He didn't think he'd be able to repair it any time soon, and that depended on if he could get the necessary materials. He was stranded.

He looked around and realized that he was alone. Ienzo was gone. Sora stumbled around the crash site looking for a body, for footprints, for _anything_.

"Ienzo?" he called out, his voice hoarse. No answer.

Sora looked at the bleak, desolate landscape and laughed humorlessly. He'd seen worlds overrun by Heartless, worlds besieged by Darkness, but nothing like this. This world was grey and lifeless as far as the eye could see, without anything green or living to provide some relief. It was as if everything had been simultaneously destroyed at the roots, leaving everything dead with no chance of ever growing back.

"Well," he said absently, speaking to no one, "this is just _great_."

* * *

Unlike Sora, Ienzo hadn't lost consciousness in the crash. He had, however, been extremely disoriented and frightened, and after the impact he'd stumbled away from the craft as fast as possible, his instinct for self-preservation overriding any thoughts to help Sora. He'd stumbled along some kind of road for a long time before finally collapsing, overcome by shock and exhaustion.

When he came to he was being jolted around terribly in some kind of wagon. He could feel the vibration of a motor deep in his bones, and whatever surface they were traveling on was none too smooth. It made him all too aware of how much his body ached, and he couldn't stop a loud groan from escaping his mouth.

Almost immediately he sensed someone fluttering at his side, cool hands reaching out to brush the hair away from his forehead. He felt a sudden spike of alarm. Was he a prisoner? Would he be harmed? This world looked dead, had the population resorted to cannibalism? But no, surely if whoever had found him had any ill intentions, they would have bound and gagged him. Or never given him the chance to come to.

"Lexaeus! He's awake!"

The vehicle lurched to a stop and Ienzo opened his eyes slowly. He was in the back part of some kind of covered vehicle. It was difficult to see in the dim light that filtered through the canvas flaps, but hovering over him was a young man with dirty blonde hair, who grinned cheerfully at Ienzo and said brightly,

"Lucky for you that we found you before one of the gangs did, or who knows what would've happened? They'd probably kill you and then strip the corpse for clothes like that."

Ienzo blinked. His traveling clothes weren't much, just plain black pants and shirt, sturdy boots, and a jacket filled with chocobo down. He looked closely at his new companion and saw that his clothing was worn and heavily patches, and hung loosely off his thin frame. It probably wouldn't do much to keep him warm in cold weather. To a desperate person, his warm jacket and boots would worth a lot, he realized. Worth enough to kill for.

"Deym, he's been through enough quite enough even without having the gangs to worry about."

The driver had crawled into the back and was regarding Ienzo solemnly. He was large and well-built, but his eyes were full of intelligence and his manner was gracious and polite. He passed Ienzo a canteen of water that he gulped gratefully, gasping a bit at the acrid aftertaste. The giant – Lexaeus – shrugged ruefully.

"Sorry about that. We have to use chemical tablets to purify our water. Everything was contaminated by the Blast."

"The… Blast? Is that what happened here?"

Lexaeus nodded, then said smoothly, "I take it that your own world has had no such hardships?"

Ienzo opened his mouth, then shut it. "You know about other worlds?"

"Of course. Marluxia was very interested in other worlds and the possibility of… expansion. Hence, the formation of the O.W.I. Committee. Of course, nothing came of that other than disaster." A shadow fell over Lexaeus's features, and even Deym looked uncomfortable. Ienzo felt a sudden sense of kinship with them. He understood the unintended consequences of certain paths of research all too well.

"My world has had its share of catastrophe, although it wasn't quite like this."

"Ah." Lexaeus nodded. "Plenty of time to discuss that later. For now, we have to get back to Ydris before nightfall."

Ienzo shook his head, wincing at the movement. "No. No, I have to go back to the ship and find Sora."

"Sora?" Deym's eyebrows shot up and he looked at Ienzo worriedly. "You were alone when we found you, and that was quite a ways back. No way can we go back now. It's too close to dark, and trust us, you do not want to be out on the roads after night falls."

"But Sora's important, he's –" Ienzo tried to sit up and fell back with a groan, his head throbbing fiercely. Deym put a hand on his shoulder and patted him awkwardly, as though trying to reassure him.

"Really sorry, um…"

"Ienzo," he snapped.

"Right. Really sorry, Ienzo, but you're pretty beat up and we should really get you back to Ydris. We have a secure place there and quite honestly, I don't think there's much we can do for your friend at this point. He's on his own."

Ienzo closed his eyes. If these people thought they needed to reach some kind of safe place as soon as possible, he should probably listen to them. Moreover, Sora was the Keyblade Master, not some helpless child. His chances of survival were no doubt significantly higher than Ienzo's. He had to admit that he wished Sora was with him, if only for his own security.

"How do I even know I can trust you?" he muttered. Lexaeus shrugged.

"You don't," he said matter-of-factly. "But we haven't killed you yet, which is more than a significant percentage of the survivors can claim."

He climbed back to the front and the engine came to life with a low rumble. Ienzo closed his eyes and waited for them to get wherever they were going, saving his strength for whatever came next.

* * *

Sora wasn't sure how long he'd been walking, only that by now he was tired, thirsty, and the western sky had turned a smokier shade of gray. The landscape he was walking through was like nothing he'd ever seen before. The cities back home had a natural, organic feeling in spite of the Garden's technological advancements. The buildings were all made of brick and stone, carefully preserved to maintain a sense of historicity and beauty, and the cobbled streets were lined with trees and flowers to keep a balance with nature. This world had been enslaved to the ugly side of technology, and was characterized by humanity's attempt to subjugate the natural world. The roads were made out of some kind of harsh, synthetic material, cutting across the country in aggressive lines. The buildings he'd seen made no attempt to harmonize with their surroundings, but were instead squat, ugly blocks. Sora thought somewhat dispassionately that this world couldn't have been much to look at even before whatever disaster had struck. He hated it. There were so many threats that could destroy worlds from the outside, why set out to destroy it from within?

He was worried about being out after dark. He had a reasonable amount of faith in his ability to defend himself, but also knew better than to tempt fate unnecessarily. This was an unfamiliar world, and he was a stranger. He didn't like to think about what could happen to a lone traveler in a place that had clearly fallen apart at the edges, especially one who didn't know the rules. He had the Keyblade, yes, but he had no real idea of how it would fare against the weapons of this world, and he'd just as soon not have to find out.

Luck appeared to be with him, though. Off in the distance he could see the dark outlines of buildings marking what looked like the remains of a medium-sized city. He figured that he could reach it by nightfall and find a place where he could lie low until he figured out what to do. He began to walk faster, a small tendril of hope unfurling in his chest.

He arrived just as the last traces of gray daylight were beginning to fade. The streets looked empty, but Sora was carefully to move silently, keeping a wary eye on the dark windows. He finally came to a stop in front of what might have once been a café. A few pieces of what looked like wrought iron table legs were scattered on the pavement in front, and inside he could see some kind of marble counter. He stepped behind it and began to systematically go through the drawers and cupboards, almost crying in relief when he found an opened can of… something. Some kind of fruit, maybe?

The feeling of cold metal pressing into the base of his skull took him by surprise.

"Don't fucking move or I'll blow your brains out."

Sora could have killed himself in that instant. Stupid, stupid, _stupid_ to have not scouted out the place right when he walked in. It was the kind of mistake a novice would make, not a Keyblade Master who had spent _years_ traveling from world to world battling Heartless. Somewhere, in the depths of his mind, he thought he could hear the laughter of the performer who had given him his coin. _Even the greatest among us can make a fatal misstep…_

His brains had not yet been blown out, however, which could be a good sign. Maybe the person holding him up was just a kid who had no real idea how to wield a weapon and was just trying to be intimidating, or maybe this was a person who would only kill when necessary. He forced his muscles to relax and strove to keep his voice calm.

"I'm not looking for a fight. I just want to keep going on my way."

The pressure on his head vanished, but before Sora had a chance to move he was being whipped around to come face to face with a scrawny redhead whose face was dominated by the most shockingly green eyes Sora had ever seen. The stranger was looking at Sora with an expression of disbelief.

"Where the hell are you from? You don't look like you're freezing or starving like everyone else on this rock."

His eyes hardened and he lifted his weapon so that it was aiming straight for Sora's forehead. He clearly knew how to use it.

"Maybe you're one of Marluxia's pets come out to gather subjects for whatever experiments the government's up to now? We always figured that the higher-ups would've survived the apocalypse, and so now you're out to destroy what's left?"

They Keyblade sprang into Sora's hand without him even needing to summon it, the weapon responding instinctively to a threat against its master. The redhead's eyes widened and he stepped back, his grip on his weapon wavering.

"…The fuck is that?"

"It doesn't matter," said a new voice from behind Sora, cold and angry, "because if he doesn't lower it _now_ he's getting shot."

Sora whirled around and saw a second person, probably a few years younger than the redhead and closer to his own age, with messy blonde hair and bright, bright blue eyes. In a different world he'd probably look boyishly handsome. As it was, there was a hard look to him, as in someone who'd known too much hunger and desperation and didn't trust the world to give a damn about his own well-being.

Sora groaned inwardly. He really didn't want to fight these two. They hadn't killed him on sight, which made him think that weren't natural killers even though they clearly knew how to use a weapon. He could probably talk his way out of this. It was the indignity of it all that was killing him.

He banished the Keyblade, took note of the brief flickers of astonishment that crossed their faces when it faded from sight, and forced himself to stand up straight and look like he was in control.

"My name's Sora. I don't want to hurt you. Let's just walk away from this, all right?"

Silence. Then the redhead slowly lowered his weapon and nodded jerkily. "All right." His eyes flickered to his companion. "Roxas?"

"All right," agreed the blonde grudgingly, "as long as he doesn't try anything."

"I won't."

The blonde – Roxas – lowered his weapon as well and went to stand next to his companion, looking at Sora critically. Sora returned his gaze coolly and wished he'd thought to wear something a little less… clean. His well-tailored, sturdy combat clothes stood out like a beacon in a world that was surviving through scavenging.

"You're not from these parts are you? Not from Ragnok, not from Baldir. So where are you from, and what do you want?"

Sora sighed and tried to think of a way he could possibly explain all of this. "I'm –"

He was spared the need to continue by the arrival of yet another person, this one a young woman with shoulder-length reddish hair wearing a concerned expression.

"Axel? Roxas? I heard shouting and thought…" her voice trailed off as she saw Sora, her mouth forming an "O" of surprise. It only took her a second to regain her composure as she took in his appearance and said softly,

"You're not from here, are you?"

"No." Sora shook his head wearily. "No, I'm not. And I'm alone. So please, either offer to help me or just let me leave."

Axel and Roxas both looked like they'd rather he left and never came back, but the strange girl just walked straight up to him and examined him thoughtfully.

"What's your name?"

Axel rolled his eyes and said warningly,

"Kairi…"

The girl ignored him and kept looking at Sora, her head tilted to one side. Sora had the distinctly uncomfortable feeling that she was looking inside him, judging what kind of a person he was and whether he was worth bothering with. She looked just as tired and worn down as the two men, but she seemed to lack their cynicism. Sora thought that he might be able to like this girl, and hoped that she wouldn't dismiss him out of hand.

He needn't have worried. After a few moments the girl smiled and said easily,

"In my experience, all that we have left is our faith in other people. If we assume that everyone we come across is vicious and cruel, then there really is no hope left, is there…?" She smiled tentatively and stretched her hand out, palm facing up. "I'm willing to take a chance on you. My name is Kairi. The redhead is Axel; the blonde is Roxas. They're my friends."

Sora looked at her and saw someone who was genuinely kind and generous, rather like Aerith. He took her hand.

"I'm Sora. Thank you."

They smiled at each other, and in that instant both of them knew that they had made a friend.

"This is very touching," snapped Axel irritably. "But can we bond elsewhere? Someplace not so visible?"

The girl blinked, and Sora noticed something like concern flicker over her features. "Oh of course." She grabbed Sora's wrist and began to move toward a shadowed staircase behind the marble countertop that he hadn't seen before. She glanced back over her shoulder and said quickly,

"The four of us have been staying upstairs. It has a good view of the streets so we can see people coming, and there's a lot of stuff left to scavenge in this area. We figure we can stay here another month, maybe two if we're lucky."

They were at the top of the stairs now, and Sora blinked as they came out into a spacious, airy room that was full of the grayish light streaming in through several large windows. It must have been a beautiful space once, but now the walls were streaked with soot and grime, and the only furniture that was left were a few rickety chairs and a makeshift table fashioned out of cracked plastic bins. Sora thought longingly of Radiant Garden, then shrugged it off. No use bemoaning what couldn't be helped. He could be much worse off.

"Welcome to our home," said Axel, and Sora didn't miss the bitter sarcasm in his voice.

Kairi had ducked into a side room and he could hear her speaking to someone, someone who was answering in a light tenor. Someone else? That's right, Kairi had said there were four of them…

"Don't worry," drawled Axel with a smirk. "He won't hurt you."

Kairi came back out, this time accompanied by a young man. He looked to be Sora's age, maybe a little older, and had beautiful silver hair and teal eyes. Sora could only stare at him, and thought that somewhere, deep inside his mind, something had just fallen into place.

"Sora," said Kairi with a smile, "this is Riku."

* * *

"There, you see?" exclaimed the jongleur with a snap of his fingers as he peered over the little blonde girl's shoulder. "There, the High Priestess crossing the Sun. They've come in contact with each other, Namine. This is going to be exciting!"

Namine touched the brightly colored cards lightly, frowning as she tried to make sense of the pattern. Orlud had only given her the Tarot recently, after what felt like an eternity of studying the symbols of playing cards and dice, and the more complicated symbolism of the Major Arcana still hovered just beyond her grasp. She let her fingers rest against a picture of a skeletal figure riding a stallion through a field of corpses and murmured softly,

"Death…"

"Ah yes, Death. The end of a cycle. But sometimes only complete destruction can clear the way for new growth." He tapped the card to the right. "You see? The World emerges triumphantly from the ashes."

"But at what cost?"

"All things worth having come at a high price, Namine. The question is if we're willing to pay it."

* * *

Do drop me a line and let me know if you like it or hate it, or how you think it's progressing. You have my eternal love if you do. :)


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